If you are refused entry to New Zealand
You need permission to travel to and enter New Zealand. Find out what to do if you have not been allowed to travel here or have been refused entry.
When you arrive in New Zealand, you must apply for entry permission and answer questions about biosecurity and customs.
When you arrive at the New Zealand border, you must apply for entry permission even if you already have a visa or NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority). This process is usually quick, but immigration officers may ask you some extra questions before giving you permission to enter New Zealand. You must answer these questions truthfully.
Immigration officers can ask you to provide evidence to support your application to enter New Zealand. They may ask to see your ticket to leave New Zealand or evidence of how you will support yourself while you are here.
Before you travel to New Zealand
If we approved your application for a visa, immigration officers at the border will have a record of your visa and any conditions we have placed on it. When they check your visa details, they may ask you to provide evidence that you will meet the conditions of your visa.
Before you travel to New Zealand
Nearly all visas are issued as eVisas.
Some travellers can apply for a visa and entry permission when they arrive in New Zealand. This applies to you if you have an NZeTA and:
If you are a cruise ship passenger and have an NZeTA you will be deemed to hold a visitor visa for 28 days when you arrive at your first New Zealand port.
An NZeTA is not a visa.
There are 2 ways to apply — by:
eGate – New Zealand Customs Te Mana Arai o Aotearoa
To apply for entry permission, you need to have your:
You may need to have a travel ticket out of New Zealand to a country you have the right to enter if:
If you are refused entry to New Zealand
Before you travel to New Zealand you must complete a New Zealand traveller declaration (NZTD). The NZTD asks questions about your travel, including customs, immigration and biosecurity information. It aims to improve the safety and security of New Zealand. Find out how to complete an NZTD on the NZTD website.
New Zealand Traveller Declaration website
Other border agencies such as the New Zealand Customs Service and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) check that you meet their entry requirements. They can refuse to let you enter New Zealand entry if you do not.
Travel to and from New Zealand | New Zealand Customs Service